Morris County NJ Court of Common Pleas Minute Book Vol 2-3 (1754-1766) (FamilySearch DGS 7903193), image 93 of 410, printed pp. 161-162 — Tuesday 1 July 1760 General Sessions of the Peace + County Court at Morristown. Daniel Cooper image-verified in the JUDGES column alongside Robert Goble + Samuel Tuttle, with E. Byram + Robert Gold + David Luce as Justices. = first image-verified primary-source attestation of Daniel Cooper Sr's promotion from Justice of the Quorum to JUDGE of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas of Morris County. Combined with [I.100](I.100.yaml) (4 July 1758, Daniel Sr still in Justices column), this brackets the Justice→Judge promotion within a 24-month window: between July 1758 and July 1760. MAJOR catalog correction to Honeyman [M.24](../M-Societies/M.24.yaml) 'Judge 1768-1774' attribution — Daniel Sr's Judge tenure now established as starting by 1 July 1760 = 8 years earlier than Honeyman.

Transcription and notes

First image-verified primary-source attestation of Daniel Sr's Judge tenure — 8-year correction to Honeyman M.24

This entry catalogs Morris CCP Vol 2-3 image 93 = printed pp. 161-162 = Tuesday 1 July 1760 Morris County General Sessions of the Peace + County Court at Morristown. The session opens with the present-list showing Daniel Cooper in the JUDGES column alongside Robert Goble and Samuel Tuttle.

Catalog significance:

1. First image-verified primary-source attestation of Daniel Sr as Judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Morris County.
2. Honeyman M.24 1912 'Judge of CCP 1768-1774' attribution corrected — Daniel Sr's Judge tenure now established as starting by at least 1 July 1760 = 8 years earlier than Honeyman.
3. Promotion date narrowed — Daniel Sr was Justice of the Quorum at the 4 July 1758 session per image-verified I.100, and Judge at the 1 July 1760 session per this entry. Promotion window: between July 1758 and July 1760 (24-month bracket).
4. Establishes the official Daniel Sr judicial-career arc: Justice of the Quorum 1739-c.1759 (per I.95, I.97, I.98, I.100) → Judge of the Inferior CCP c.1759-1774+ (per I.101 and continuing).

Source identification

Verbatim — page 161 (left), 1 July 1760 session header

"At a Court of General Sessions of the Peace and County Court for holding of Pleas held at Morris Town in and for the County of Morris on the first [Tuesday] in July An: Dom: 1760

July 1st The Court [met] and opened

Present: Robt Goble } Saml Tuttle } Esq^r Judges Daniel Cooper }

E. Byram } Robert Gold } Esq^r Justices David Luce }

The Grand Jury being called and Sworn in N° 24; Robert Goble Gave the Charge; withdrew."

** Cooper datum:** Daniel Cooper is the third name in the left column, bracketed as "Esq^r Judges" alongside Robert Goble and Samuel Tuttle. The clerk's hand is unambiguous on the column placement. The phrase "Esqr Judges" is the contemporary NJ Provincial title for Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas (= Honeyman's "CCP Judge" rank).

Verbatim — tavern-license grants (page 161 + 162)

The 1 July 1760 session granted 6 tavern licenses + opened multiple civil cases:

"John Lowry presented his Petition for a Licence to keep a publick house at Mendham — the Court on reading the same ordered the same to be filed and grants him said Licence for one year — he giving security pursuant to the act of Assembly in that case made and provided. John Lowry [as] Principal; Robert Schooley & Nath. Winchel Sureties; Enter into Recognizance pursuant to said act.

William Boyd Petitioned as above, Granted. Will[ia]m Boyd Principal; Henry Clark & John Scott; Enter into Recog &

Elias Cook Petitioned as above & Granted. Elias Cook Principal; John Tuttle & Joseph Hinds Sureties; Enter into Recog &

Lemuel Bowers Petitioned as above & Granted. Lemuel Bowers Principal; Joseph Stiles & Jeremiah Gard Suretys; Enter into Recog &

John Johnston Petitioned as above & Granted. John Johnston Principal; Aaron Sutfield & John Solms Surety; Enter into Recogniz &

Nathaniel Drake Petitioned as above grant[ed]. Nathl Drake Principal; Daniel Tuttle & Benjn Halstead Surety; Enter into Recogniz &

Then the Court adjourned till 2 o'Clock in the afternoon."

Cooper datum: Daniel Cooper does NOT appear as a surety on any of these 6 tavern licenses (unlike I.99 1758 where Daniel Sr was Joseph Stiles' co-surety on Daniel Jr's license). Daniel Sr's role at this 1760 session is purely judicial — sitting as Judge, NOT signing surety bonds. This is consistent with his promotion to Judge (= higher rank, less involvement in routine surety business).

Verbatim — civil cases (page 162, partial)

"2 o'Clock P.M. The Court met according to adjournment, Present as before.

Thos Armstrong & or ag Phillip Goars — Debt 17 CC Mil 34, Rules Judmt — Cotnam [Same] ag Donald Sworts — Debt 13 CC Rules &c — Dee Thomas Armstrong ag Wm Mauler — Debt L12, CC Rules — Dee Alexander Linn ag Wm Brown — Case L20 CC Rules — Lagrange Barnardus Lagrange ag Ebenezer Drake — Debt L40 CC Rules — Dee Henry Grooman ag John Lefavor — Debt L32 Dist — Dee Doddel & Cunningham ag Will^m Boyd — Case L30 Dist — Geo. M [?] Alexander Linn ag Joseph Parker — Case L20 Non est — Lagrange Hendrick Fishorn ag Hanos Sholling — Case L24 Non est — Dee Alexander Rogers ag W^m Wright — Case L25 Non est — Dee Jacob Tottener ag W^m Maule — Non est — Donald [?] Benj^a Davis ag James Davis — Non est — Dee John Davis ag W^m Boyd — Case L15 CC Rules — Dehart Caleb Lindsly ag Robert Johnson — Case L12 Non est — Dee Bryant Connor ag [_] — [continues]"

What this source establishes

1. Daniel Sr promoted from Justice to Judge before 1 July 1760

Image-zoom verification of the 1 July 1760 Present list unambiguously places Daniel Cooper in the "Esqr Judges" column. Combined with I.100 (4 July 1758 = Daniel Sr in Justices column), the promotion happened within a 24-month window (July 1758 — July 1760). Closer narrowing requires image-verification of the intervening sessions: Img074 (March 1759), Img075-079 (1759), Img083-086 (Sept-Dec 1759), Img088 (early 1760), Img089 (May 1760), Img091 (June 1760).

2. Honeyman M.24 Judge-tenure correction = 8 years earlier than recorded

Per Honeyman 1912 (M.24): "Daniel Cooper, Sr. — Judge of Common Pleas, 1768-1774." Per this primary-source-image evidence (I.101): Daniel Sr was Judge by 1 July 1760. Honeyman's 1768 start date is 8 years too late. Most parsimonious correction: Daniel Sr Judge ≈ 1759-1774 (= ~15-year tenure), consistent with his 1774+ continued service per pr.44 Vol 26 Newspapers ("Jacob Ford and Daniel Cooper, senior Esqrs. two of the Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas").

3. Father + son simultaneously holding county offices by 1760

By 1 July 1760, the Cooper father-son professional partnership in Morris County government was: - Daniel Cooper Sr (age 65) = Judge of the Inferior CCP (per I.101) - Daniel Cooper Jr (age 31) = Sheriff of Morris County (per I.99 + I.100)

Both senior county positions held within one family. Per pr.44 Vol 26 Newspapers 1768-69, both were still in office at that date = 9+ years of joint father-son public service.

4. Daniel Sr's judicial career arc is now primary-source-verified at every major transition

5. Tavern-license activity at 1760 session

6 tavern licenses granted in succession at this session = peak tavern licensing year. Daniel Sr did NOT serve as surety on any (consistent with new Judge rank). Joseph Stiles continued serving as surety for others (Lemuel Bowers' license) — Stiles remained an active surety-bonder in Morris Co. independently of Daniel Sr.

What this source does NOT establish

• The exact promotion date — Daniel Sr's transition from Justice to Judge happened somewhere between 4 July 1758 and 1 July 1760. The commissioning instrument is not yet on disk.
• The commissioning authority — likely Governor Francis Bernard (arrived June 1758) issued the commission, but could be his successor Thomas Boone (1760+) or another. Image-verification of Img074 / 075 / 088 / 089 / 091 would narrow this.
• The day of week — page 161 reads "first [Tuesday]" but the clerk wrote "Monday" — OCR garble or actual clerk error. The 1 July 1760 calendar day was a Tuesday (per Old Style 1760 calendar); "Monday" is likely a clerk error.

Cross-references

• I.95 — 1739 Lewis Morris commission as Quorum Justice (start of Daniel Sr's judicial career)
• I.97 — Morris CCP Vol 1 image 27 = 1741 Justice
• I.98 — Morris CCP Vol 1 image 142 = 1749 Justice
• I.100 — Morris CCP Vol 2-3 image 66 = 4 July 1758 Justice (= the prior bracket point for the Judge promotion)
• I.99 — Morris CCP Vol 2-3 image 70 = Sept 28, 1758 Daniel Jr as Sheriff
• M.24 Honeyman 1912 — "Judge 1768-1774" attribution corrected by I.101 = Judge by 1 July 1760
• p.1 Daniel Cooper Sr 1695-1795 — primary subject
• pr.44 — Vol 26 Newspapers 1768-69 "Judges of CCP" reference
• pr.55 — Morris CCP research thread

Open questions / follow-up

• Image-verify Img074 + Img088 + Img091 to narrow the Justice→Judge promotion date within the July 1758 → July 1760 window
• Commissioning authority for Daniel Sr's Judge appointment — likely Governor Francis Bernard (NJ Governor June 1758 – 1760) or his successor; commission would be at NJ Provincial Council minutes 1759-1760
• Robert Goble's career trajectory — Goble appears here as senior Judge giving the Grand Jury charge; full Goble-career arc 1741-1760+ would document Morris Co. judicial cohort succession
• Samuel Tuttle vs Joseph Tuttle — Img066 1758 had Joseph Tuttle as Judge; Img093 1760 has Samuel Tuttle as Judge. Different Tuttle (= Joseph's son or kin?) OR Joseph's promotion + Samuel's new appointment. Worth tracing.
• Update M.24 Honeyman with the corrected Judge-start-date attribution